from it altogether tonight we have a special edition of conversations of great minds featuring stephanie cook stephanie is one of the world's top reporters and authors on the issue of nuclear energy and the use in history of nuclear weapons and is a real industry insider articles on nuclear topics of your have appeared in a variety of publications including reader's digest the international herald tribune a g.q. magazine said he first began her reporting clear in one nine hundred seventy seven at the associated press and later moved to london where she covered the chernobyl disaster for business week she return to the united states in two thousand and four to complete her most recent book in mortal hands a crushing or a history of the nuclear age currently stephanie is the editor of nuclear intelligence weekly part of me and talk energy intelligence group stephanie brilliant work and thank you for joining us tonight thank you for having great to have us with you i'm curious just at a personal level what sparked your interest in nuclear issues that took you to the point where you've become one

blog about your conversations with great minds i'm joined by stephanie cooke expert on nuclear energy and the use of nuclear weapons and the author of in mortal hands a cautionary history of the nuclear age stephanie what provoked you or what motivated you i asked earlier about your interest in nuclear power and nuclear weapons that was fascinating story why this book now well. i'll tell you the the the actual trigger for the book was what was going on with the first gulf war in one thousand nine hundred one and i felt very frustrated. in the ensuing years that people were expressing so much surprise that we discovered this huge weapons program in iraq and that the made in usa stamp was on some of the equipment we were finding there was a lot of stuff that had come from europe and this was a result of our close relationship with the iraqis during the eighty's and our willingness to look the other way when they were do questionable dual use exports and so on and so forth but you know there's only so many times you can explain this to people at dinner parties or whatever so you sort of

blaming this recession just passed on obama is like blaming your hangover on the guy cooking breakfast. >> stephaniemy dad ran with goldwater in '64. i'm not the first to say it. this isn't my dad and goldwater's party. do you recognize this version of the republican party? >> no, i don't. it is hard to take the partisanship out of it. i served with your dad's running mate, barry goldwater. my father did as well. during the last few years of his time in the senate, barry goldwater and i served on the armed services committee together. he was such a warm and friendly guy and a very smart guy. my dad was friends with him too. of course, president kennedy was prepared to have debates all over the country with senator goldwater. >> stephanie: they liked each other very much. i liked him very much as a person. he was a very kind and smart guy. he would not recognize today's republican party. and let me be quick to add that there are many, many rank and file republicans who are upset over the direction of today's republican party. up until now many of them have been reluctant to speak out and offer some e

stephanie stanton, nbc news los angeles. >>> in texas, police raided what were two active moonshine still making bootleg booze that goes for $100 a pint. neighbors are also accused of helping cook the 190 proof alcohol. police say the stills could have easily caused an explosion. >>> elsewhere in texas, a neighborhood is under siege from a pack of wild chihuahuas. it's believed a man who was a hoarder had kept the dogs until he vanished last week. animal control workers have been trying to keep up. neighbors say the dogs are killing cats in the area. >>> in california, happy hour is hitting the road i guess you could say. this is called a bar cycle. it's a human powered rolling watering hole. the company behind it hopes to rent it out for parties but before you crack open a cold one while pedaling, be warned, in most cases there is no drinking allowed on public streets, only on private property. >>> finally, don't panic. it is only a replica a giant snake. but it is a life-size copy of a massive prehistoric reptile known the tidanaboa. it's on display in new york and will soon slither its way down to washington, d.c. now, for a look at your national regional weather here's bill